Garment hanger and shield



Filed Feb. 27, 1939 3nventor Henry C: Ruen (Ittor neg Patented Nov. 19, 1940 UNETED STATES GARMENT HANGER AND SHIELD Henry C. Ruen, Detroit, Mich, assignor to Cleaners Hanger Compa y, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application February 27, 1939, Serial No. 258,766

8 Claims.-

This invention relates to garment hangers and particularly triangular garment hangers employing a cover of sheet material for the lower or trousers-supporting span of the hanger.

The purpose of such a cover is to protect a garment hung on said span from contact with the latter and to provide an extended seating area for such garment, assuring against production therein of any such transverse crease as might result from directly folding it across said span.

An elongated strip of fairly stiff cardboard has long been used in forming such a cover and has been arched transversely to assure its proper seating on the lower span and to predetermine a noncreasing garment fold. This arched form so stiffens the cover as to largely eliminate longitudinal flexibility, and upon application of such a cover to an initially straight span of wire, a slight downward bowing of such span under load will withdraw the mid portion of the span from the corresponding portion of the cover, imposing a heavy'load stress on the last mentioned mid portion. Due to this action, many of the described covers have yielded at their mid portions, producing unsightly stress lines or breaks? and permitting sagging and wrinkling of garments.

An object of the present invention is to so form the lower span of a triangular garment hanger that it will adequately support a cardboard cover member, as above described, and particularly the mid portion thereof, under the maximum intended load.

Another object is to so form said lower span as to derive adequate support for said cover from a lighter type of garment hanger than would otherwise be feasible.

Another object is to form the bottom span of a triangular wire garment hanger with an upward projection at its mid portion providing a seat for the mid portion of an elongated cover member for such span and maintaining its seating function throughout the deflection of the span under its maximum intended load.

Another object is to impart an arch shape to the cover-receiving lower span, the altitude of the arch being so predetermined that deflection of said span under load approximately straightens the span while maintaining its supporting relation to the cover.

A further object is to form said lower span with one or more upwardly directed angles serving to form a point or points of support for the mid portion of a cover strip engaging said span, and also to increase the resistance of said span to deflection under load.

These and various other objects are attained by the construction hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the improved garment hanger and its cover strip, showing a normal or load-free position of the lower span.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary end view of said hanger particularly illustrating the two-ply form of its book and shank.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational View of the hanger, showing the maximum intended-deflection of its lower span.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing an alternative formation of the lower span of the hanger.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a blank from which is formed the cover strip shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 2 65 of Fig. 1 showing the cross sectional form of the cover strip.

In these views, the reference character I designates the downwardly divergent side members of a triangular wire garment hanger and 2 the member forming its lower span, said members forming upper and lower garment supports. The members I serve primarily to carry a coat or dress, andthe member 2 to carryone or more pairs of trousers. Said members are formed from a single length of wire having its end portions upwardly extended from the juncture of the members I and intertwisted to form the shank 3 of a supporting hook t for the hanger. ing said hook jointly from the wire end portions (see Fig. 2), it becomes feasible to use a considerably lighter wire than is required for hangers having a single ply hook. To the member 2 is applied a cover 5 formed b an elongated strip of fairly stiff sheet material such as cardboard. The stiffness of this strip is increased by arching ittransversely as best shown in Fig. 6, making it approximately rigid longi tudinally. This further adapts the lateral por- By formhanger, but may not be dislodged from the member 2 without materially bending at least one of said legs. To facilitate applying the cover strip, its end portions are transversely scored across its full width, the score lines 1 intersecting the inner ends of the slots 6 and thus adapting any of said legs to be readily bent, as the cover is applied. Said cover strip has been described, in considerable detail, because it essentially affects the functioning of my garment hanger, but it is to be understood that the invention consists in the hanger construction, rather than said strip.

In the practice heretofor generally followed, the lower spans of triangular hangers have been substantially straight, and as has been pointed out, such spans have failed in many instances to adequately support such cover strips as have been described. In the present invention, the member 2 is predeterminedly upwardly arched, Fig. 1 showing the resultant formation of an angle 8 at the center of said member, and Fig. 4 showing a modification in which two spaced angles 9 are formed by the mid portion of said member. Thus when the intended maximum load is applied, resultant deflection or the member 2 does not withdraw such member from the cover 5, but maintains a support beneath the mid portion of the cover throughout such deflection. By properly proportioning the arch of said member, its deflection, under load, serves to approximately straighten such member, as appears'in Fig. 3. Formation of the span 2 with the angle 8 or angles 9 not only provides a point or points of support for the mid portion of the cover but also increases the stiffness of said span thus adding material resistance to downward deflection. The stiffness derived from these angles is such that the span regains its original form on release of load.

It is to be noted that resistance of the span 2 to downward deflection increases as the deflection increases, reaching its maximum when the span assumes its full load position (Fig. 3), in which the span is approximately straight. The

considerable resilient effort of said span to regain its normal position is an important factor in adequately supporting the cover 5, under full load conditions.

Garment hangers of the triangular wire type are very extensively used by dry cleaning, dyeing and tailoring establishments and it has long been common to apply cover strips substantially as have been described to the lower spans of such hangers. When garments have been serviced by such establishments, it is obviously highly desirable to maintain a neat, clean, and well-pressed appearance thereof until delivery is completed. If the cover strips over which the garments are hung are allowed to sag and consequently break, the mid portions of the garments correspondingly sag and form unsightly wrinkles. This is displeasing to a customer and the broken cover strip further diminishes customer satisfaction. The tendency to sag induced by dead weight of garments is usually materially increased during delivery, by vibration, oscillation and shocks occurring in the delivery vehicle.

It has been established by careful tests that provision of a suitable arch in the lower bar increases its safe carrying capacity substantially two pounds, as compared to an ordinary garment hanger formed of the same wire. It follows, of course, that a materially lighter wire may be used than in prior practice, without reduction of safe carrying capacity.

In the improved construction, a considerable economy in manufacture accrues from the use of a lighter wire than has heretofore been feasible. Thus 14 or 14 gauge wire is adequate for the disclosed garment hanger, whereas the general prior practice has been to employ wire of 12 or 12 gauge.

The invention is presented as including all such modifications and changes as come within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. A wire garment hanger comprising an upper garment support and a lower garment support integrally connected at its ends to the upper support, and normally so upwardly arched between its ends that the maximum intended loadis effective to approximately straighten it, whereby material downward bowing of the lower support from end to end is avoided under load and break age is avoided of a cover strip applied to the lower support.

2. A garment hanger as set forth in claim 1, said lower support comprising substantially straight portions extending at anupward convergence to substantially the center of such support.

3. A wire hanger for garments and the like having an upper and lower span and having its lower span formed in its mid portion with an upward projection, providing a seat for a cover strip, for such span.

4. A wire hanger for garments and the like having an upper and lower. span and having the mid portion of its lower span forming an upwardly directed angle providing a seat for a cover strip applied to such span.

5. A wire hanger for garments and the like having an upper and lower span and having its lower span upwardly arched from end to end thereof and bent in its mid portion to impart stiffness and to provide a seat for a cover strip for the span.

6. A wire garment hanger of substantially triangular form comprising downwardly divergent sides and a resiliently flexible lower span normally upwardly arched toward the sides and adapted to be straddled by a semi-rigid cover member extended substantially from end to end of such span, the altitude of the arch and the flexibility 1 of the arched span being so predeterminedly proportioned to the maximum intended load, that the 8. A wire hanger for garments and the like having an upper and lower span and having its lower span upwardly arched from end to end thereof and bent at points substantially equidistant fromthe center of the span to form obtuse upwardly directed angles.

w HENRY C. RUEN. 

